Wish I Were There Wednesday ~ June 19, 2019

It’s already Wednesday so grab a cuppa whatever and let’s enjoy a quick trip to Aachen, Germany which is where I wish I were today. Aachen (also known as Bad Aachen or “Aachen Spa”), is a spa and border city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The westernmost city in Germany, Aachen is located near the borders of Belgium and the Netherlands, approximately 61 km (38 miles) southwest of Cologne. Developed from a Roman settlement, it became the preferred imperial residence of Charlemagne (“Charles the Great” and who is often referred to as the “Father of Western Europe,”). Over 30 Holy Roman Emperors were crowned king of the Germans in Aachen from 936 to 1531 at the cathedral.

While I did not visit this beautiful cathedral due to time constraints, it is one of the most visited sites in the city. Built on Charlemagne’s orders, construction began in 796 AD and was completed in 798 AD. It was the largest cathedral north of the Alps. Charlemagne’s remains were interred in the cathedral and can still be seen there. The cathedral has been extended several times over the ages, combining multiple building styles and is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Aachen is one of Germany’s most innovative cities with industries of science, engineering and information technology being prominent.

How very interesting.. I have only very recently finished watching a documentary on the life of Charlemange the establishment of his Capital at Aachen and the Holy Roman Empire. The Doco. also toured his great church and his tomb. It was very interesting, and it was great to read your post – the post of someone who has been there.

Thanks so much for sharing this and taking me to Aachen, Monika. The family I lived with in Heidelberg had family in Aachen, although I never went there. The Cathedral is incredible…beyond description.
Best wishes,
Rowena

I can’t believe I didn’t make it there, but they didn’t mention the chocolate factory. I would’ve been there in a flash. BTW have you ever tried Tim Tams? They’ve been adding to their range and their most recent ones are designed to be dunked in a hot drink. You bite off each end and drink through it like a straw and gobble it up quickly before it falls in your mug.The new ones have a strip of caramel which melts and it’s very very good.

I found some Tim Tam’s at a World Market but admit it was just so-so. If I’m going to consume needless calories, they must be extraordinary. Like Belgium, German or Swiss chocolates. 🥰 Sorry you missed Aachen, it’s quite the old city with wonderful sights to check out.

I wonder what a Holy Roman Emperors’ slide would look like…..
Otto the Great pushing Charles the Bald off the ladder because he was just Roman and not Holy…Barbarossa disputing precedence with Stupor Mundi….Maria Theresa crying because her husband was on the slide and she was not and Francis II slung out of the playground for letting Napoleon abolish his title…
Satisfait maintenant, mon pote?

See, I knew you couldn’t resist, my poor grammar notwithstanding 😈 All along my favorite was the guy who claimed on the internet to have traced the lineage of the Burger King (“Home of the Whopper!”) back to a Holy Roman Emperor of…Hamburg, of course. You have to admit those HRE boys had a sense of humor at least with their names: Charles the Bald, Henry the Fowler, Max the Maltese. Oh, wait a minute…

I’m sure you aced your GCSEs. Now, which do you consider was the stronger swimmer,
(a) The Spanish Armadillo, (b) The Great Seal?
Never mind, Monika will get mad if keep hijacking her post and we do NOT want to get Monika mad.

Not at all. This has been great fun with loads of snickers and snorts. I only get mad when squirrels break into my kitchen {again} by chewing through the screen 😬 (for the 4th time). Maybe it’s time to consider a pellet gun-I’m running out of screening materials.